HIS is a story of adventure. How did a Nottingham printer and businessman T find himself caring for the needs of his city and for people and places all over the TH E TI TL E world, from Nizhny Novgorod in Russia to Richmond, Virginia in the USA, from Brazil Printer’s Pie was the term used by compositors to China? It is a story of faith fulfilled, of un- when their carefully composed page of type fell out expected action, an on-going experience of a of the forme accidentally— change of heart, and, late in life, a wonderful usually because the quoins hadn’t been sufficiently love which widened and deepened all that I ghtened to lock the type in securely when being did or hoped to do. moved to the press. The resultant pile of loose type It all began in 1931, when I was born to was called ‘pie’. Tom and Sylvia Hawthorne, the second of their five children. My father owned stationery shops in Nottingham and, in due course, Hawthornes further developed as highly re- garded colour printers. Not long after I was born, my parents met the work of the Oxford Group (later MRA and now Initiatives of Change or IofC). It en- livened and reinforced their already firm faith, my father being a convinced Methodist and the Captain of a Boys' Brigade Company and my mother a Girl Guide Commissioner. Family times of listening in quiet for God's inspiration and making the absolute moral standards of honesty, purity, unselfishness and love a touchstone for life became part of our growing up. For me, this way of living has last- © Richard Hawthorne 2015 ed a lifetime, giving me direction and purpose E: [email protected] Published by Astra Books, Arundel BN18 9RZ for my living and the corrective of change in www.changemakersgallery.com my heart and life. Printed by CPO, Worthing BN13 1BW School was endured rather than enjoyed, 20 1 reading comics rather than Pride and Prejudice , in April 2015 when I participated in the listening to Dick Barton, Special Agent and ‘Healing History – Memory, Legacy & Social escaping during long lunch hours to watch Change’ IofC conference in Richmond, cricket at Trent Bridge. I became a Sergeant Virginia. I was accompanied by Maxine Cock- in the Boys' Brigade. Our Captain, H A ett, who had the original idea of ‘Holding Brown, arranged for some of us to operate Hands around St Ann’s’. New friendships one of the scoreboards at Trent Bridge, made there are set to develop further. where he was Secretary of the Nottingham- Ever since the early years with David, shire County Cricket Club. Cricket at Trent Jennifer, Rosemary and Chris, family has con- Bridge has become a lifelong love. tinued to be an important part of my life. Our Leaving school at 16 in 1947, the adven- visits to Rosemary and John in Norfolk and ture of serving at Hawthornes’ new Ilkeston David and Mary in Somerset will always be shop, the company's fourth, did not work – I memorable. The latter's move in Somerset was too shy. A two-year apprenticeship as a from Triscombe to Bishops Lydeard means that compositor at our Maypole Yard printing they are still only 45 minutes away from Meili's works, learning the printing trade from the brother Walford and his wife, Sue. Regular in- ground up, was a far happier option. This vitations to meals in the homes of Jennifer and included hand setting type, printing menus Chris are much enjoyed. for the nearby Black Boy Hotel and attend- Events continue to crowd in – St Nicholas’ ing day release classes at Nottingham Tech- church, the Inter Faith Council, ‘Bringing Peo- nical College. ple Together’, IofC meetings, a conference at Two years of National Service with the Caux—and Test Match cricket at Trent Bridge! Royal Engineers followed, learning to drive Close friendships have developed from all and service vehicles and then constructing a my activities in Nottingham, the UK and Bailey bridge over the Thames for the 1951 abroad. Most weeks I am sending several birth- Festival of Britain. Unfortunately we tipped day or wedding anniversary cards or emails. it into the river before reaching the first pier My Christmas letter is sent to over 300 friends and I ended up in hospital for a hernia opera- worldwide. The responses are heart-warming. tion! After this, I returned to Hawthornes, And the Welcome Mat is always out, as I operating the printing machines and the guil- greatly enjoy hosting visitors – long may it lotine and taking evening classes in Costing, continue. Estimating and Management. Throughout these years our family main- tained its links with the work of Moral Re- Armament. In 1946 the Westminster Theatre, near Buckingham Palace, was pur- chased as a memorial to men associated with this work who had died in the war. The 2 19 My family, l to r: Rosemary, Jennifer, David, Mother, Chris, myself, Father up a Nottingham group called 'Bringing Peo- performances put on there aimed to bring ple Together', to raise funds to assist with this faith and new life to all who saw them. From programme, and also to start the 'My Story Nottingham we organised many coach par- Project'. With the help of experienced youth ties to London to see these plays, taking workers, this has mentored young people and friends and neighbours and keeping in touch families in difficult situations and relation- with many who responded. We also took ships. Those taking part have eagerly respond- many friends to MRA's international centre ed, sharing their stories and writing down at Caux in Switzerland, whose work for their experiences. It has transformed lives. reconciliation in national and international A 2011 visitor was Rob Corcoran, whose affairs has been universally recognised. work in Richmond, Virginia, had developed During the 1950s the company faced the Hope in the Cities Dialogues. He spoke to many changes. Despite increased turnover in groups in Nottingham, Liverpool, London, the early 1950s, Hawthornes experienced a and Holland, about his book, Trust-building: difficult period with profits fluctuating. The an Honest Conversation on Race, Reconciliation Radford Road and Clumber Street shops and Responsibility. This connection continued were sold. By the late 1950s there was a dra- matic drop in sales. The financial position 18 3 became dire. Our home at Ransom Road was Hands around St Ann's, as well as the Sheriff sold and we moved to rented accommoda- of Nottingham showing us the Council tion. At this critical juncture I was appointed House and visits to Nottingham Castle and a director. the statue of Robin Hood. I have DVD cop- ies (in English) of the resulting TV pro- gramme for any who wish to see them. For many years I have been involved in the Nottingham Inter Faith Council, having served as Chair and then Secretary. Our aim is to Build trust, respect and community through people of different faiths and beliefs . We make available an exhibition of banners and packs of leaflets giving information about ourselves and the different faiths. Multifaith events we organise have included 'Come and Dine with us', 'Kicking it with Faith' for foot- ballers, 'The Listening Experience', 'Inter Faith's got Talent' and a Faiths Trail when we visit a range of places of worship. In 2009 I was in Bosnia, part of a travel- ling conference arranged by the Christian Chris, Dad & myself at Palm Street. Muslim Forum UK, helping to explore ways in which faith communities can assist in sus- By the early 1960s my father began with- taining civil society and promoting unity and drawing from his responsibilities. The day-to friendships in their communities. We met -day running of the business fell to me and Orthodox Serbs, Bosnian Muslims, Croatian David Hind as Joint Managing Directors. Catholics and civic leaders in Sarajevo, David had joined the company at the age of Srebrenica, Tuzla and Bijeljena, for fruitful 17 and became our sales representative two conversations, using our own experiences of or three years later, doubling the results of change and reaching out to different com- his predecessor. After 1939-46 service in the munities. Army, he volunteered with MRA around the ‘Hope in the Cities’ was the inspiration world. In 1960 he returned to Hawthornes for the work we began in St Ann's. Initial and introduced the selling of safes and office funding from Hope in the Cities, IofC UK, furniture, adding a new division to the com- had provided bursaries for young people to pany. attend the IofC conferences at Caux in By the end of the decade the business was Switzerland. The effect on those who went expanding. I became responsible for our was so marked that we decided in 2010 to set 4 17 from Hu Zhou, a Mandarin Chinese teacher, London customers, firms such as Avon, Brit- Jacqueline Mhlanga, a refugee judge from ish Waterways and Saatchi & Saatchi, and Zimbabwe, and Chris Cann of the Notting- developed other customers in East Anglia in- hamshire Refugee Forum. There were also cluding Fisons, Ransomes and Harcostar. songs from the Inner Wheel District Choir The growing business meant developing and a cornet solo by David Cao. our new site at Palm Street, New Basford, a Meili's sister, Fran, her brother Walford move in which I had a large part. I relinquish- and his wife, Sue, had been away in Hankow ed the role of Joint Managing Director to my at the time of the first service. They had been brother Chris in 1975, and my work became special guests at the 140 th anniversary cele- running our Business Printing and Office brations at the Wuhan Union Hospital.